Charcoal Roads
by AuthenticAussie
Summary: How things may go, when one walks a charcoal road (it changes, marks you in different ways, when things are different; this is one story from a different world, one where different people met in different ways.)


**A/N: ASL brothership (feat. Smoker, who managed to sneak in via Marine-magic.)**

**Minor Spoilers for those not past Dressora, but it is an AU so it's not like it matters to much. Birthday present for the gorgeous Freckles on tumblr! :3**

* * *

Sabo's coat swished against his legs as he angrily stormed through the corridors of Marie Jois, and if his thunderous expression wasn't enough to tell people to get out of the CP9 agent's way then they really should have had their eyes checked out. His soft-soled boots slapped against the floors, a fast-paced rhythm so unlike the blond's usual pace that anyone listening out for it would probably have confused him for someone else.

Tense rage radiated from every line of his spine and the taut hold of his shoulders, and as he reached the main office, he slammed the door open without even bothering to knock, the wood almost splintering from the force he had used to shove it open.

The bang it made in the silence made the occupant of the room jump, and as Sabo stormed across the room and stopped in front of Spandam's desk, hands curled into fists, he could see Spandam start to look nervous.

"_What,_" he started, voice low and cold, an edge to his tone that told Spandam exactly what he thought of the masked man's newest plan, "_Exactly, _do you think you're doing_._"

His tone made it clear that he already knew what was going on, and the way he phrased his words framed it as an order rather than a question. Spandam's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and if he weren't so unbelievably _angry _than he'd take a sort of pleasure from seeing the fear that the leader of the CP9 displayed in the face of one of his best agents.

Because that's what Sabo was; one of the best CP9 agents that they'd had for the past thirty years, and finding out what Spandam had tried to plan for Luffy and Ace-

_His brother on an execution platform, and every secret he'd tried so hard to keep spilled from someone else's lips into the crowd like his blood was soon to be-_

_Cold seastone chains constantly chafing his skin, the sight of daylight never to be his again-_

Well, let's just say he wasn't very pleased. If 'wasn't very pleased' was code for 'extremely pissed', of course.

Ace was a great marine. Sure, he didn't follow orders to the letter every time, but then neither did Luffy, and both of them still managed to keep the peace and inspire hope in the people of the Grand Line and beyond. So how _dare _Spandam try and rip the people from their heroes?

How _dare _he try and turn all of Ace's comrades against the freckled marine, when Sabo _knew_ that all Ace'd ever tried to be was the best person he could.

How _dare _he try and take away Luffy's freedom and hope and strength, when Sabo knew that what Luffy fought for was only the freedom and rights of every person in the whole damn _world._

He was pissed, and rightfully so. "You, Spandam," Sabo started, seeing that the other marine had stuck to silence, and deciding to continue in the absence of any protests, "Have seriously miscalculated a _lot _of things, the first being _me_."

His lips curled into a manic grin, one he knew would terrify the slimy toad of a man, and Sabo practically quivered with the effort it took not to spit the words at Spandam. "If you _ever _try and hurt another of my brothers again, I promise you, you will _never _hear me coming. Next time, there _will_ _be _**no** warning."

Turning on his heel, Sabo was about to leave the office when he heard the lightest hiss, barely a whisper as a knife was slid from its sheath. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth. An assault against his brothers he couldn't stand any more than he could stand an assault to himself; but to add trying to kill him on top of that insult?

Sabo _was __**not **_happy.

Whirling, Sabo moved faster than the other marine could see and threw a punch straight at Spandam's face, feeling the grisly crunch of the marine's nose under his fist with a grim, vicious satisfaction. The blood that spewed from under his knuckles made the teen curl his lip in a sneer, disgust in his very words. "Don't even try it, you asshole."

To be fair, you didn't really mess with Sabo's brothers and honestly expect to get away with it.

By the time he was done, Spandam had 'retired' and Sabo was left with a new office. It was a pretty nice office, actually, once he got it cleaned up a bit.

Sabo thought he'd quite like it there.

**XxX**

Ace knew all along that getting himself messed up in the private affairs of one of the Whitebeards – an elite group of marines that were fiercely protective of their squadron – would end in disaster.

Why, then, he chose to peruse it, was completely beyond him. He supposed it had something to do with his psychotic tendencies, and his general inability to keep his nose where it should belong; stuck to a desk somewhere in the back office where he couldn't cause trouble. Of course, it was too late to regret his actions know, not when he had an effeminate banshee shrieking in his ear to run faster and the loud pounding feet of cooks behind him.

Oh well. At least his stomach was happy.

Turning a corner and spotting an open closet, Ace quickly grabbed Izo's bicep, dragging the okama into the room with him and just barely managing to shut the door before the cooks ran past, angrily shouting for the 'little thieves!' to get back to the kitchen with all the food they'd stolen.

The cooks' footsteps died away, and Ace felt his pounding heart begin to slow as no more noises could be heard. A smattering of relieved chuckles burst into full blown laughs, the two marines holding onto each other's shoulders for support as they almost cried with mirth, and both of them could barely stand after a minute or two, unable to get their laughter under control.

The door to the closet was ripped open, and a tall-ish man with a huge hairdo stood in the doorway, glaring at the both of them with a look of murder on his features.

Subdued quickly, Ace turned to look at Izo for support, but the other marine merely gave a barely hidden grin and stood up a little straighter, still obviously amused from their romp through the halls. "Hallo Thatch."

"_Izo!_" Thatch said, half-scandalised for some unknown reason, voice raising into a pitch so high he sounded like a girl, and Ace couldn't help it; laughter burst from his lips again, loud peals that drew both of the Whitebeards' attention towards him and effectively stopped Thatch's rant in its tracks.

"Oo, I _like_ him. Let's keep him," Thatch said, upon seeing Ace's wide grin and his freckles, and Izo smacked him upside the head, frowning at the cook.

"He's not a _pet _Thatch."

Thatch pouted at Izo, a full-on lip quiver of epic proportions, and Izo gave a groan-sigh, rolling his eyes. "_Pleaaasee?_"

"You have to ask Pops, not me!" Izo protested, his last ditch attempt at avoiding the argument, and he held his hands up as though trying to fend off Thatch's puppy-dog eyes.

Before Ace knew it, a hand had wrapped around his wrist and he was being yanked from the closet, easily dragged after the determined marine cook. Surprise was written all over his features, and it was now Izo's turn to laugh at his expression, barely hiding his grin.

Crossing his arms as the trio power-walked/stumbled/glided through the corridors, Izo shook his head and adopted a semi-chiding tone. "He's still not a pet, Thatch!"

"But _new brother,_" Thatch bemoaned, pouting again, and if Ace got any more confused he was sure his head was going to pop.

See, this was why he shouldn't have stuck his nose in the Whitebeards' business. They were all _nutty._

**XxX**

"I quit," Smoker said firmly, pivoting on his heel and dropping his marine coat on the ground, uncaring of the dust as he marched away steadily. The confused face of the newest bunch of recruits – including what he sincerely hoped (but doubted, considering his luck,) wasn't Monkey D. Garp's grandson – stared after him, and one (a green haired kid whom looked like he'd be massive amounts of trouble) just went back to hitting his swords against the training dummy. "I don't care anymore. I'm not training anymore damn brats."

"Hina is sympathetic," His pink haired friend said, patting his shoulder, and Smoker cast her a glare that Hina returned ten-fold, unwilling to let her friend try and push her around. Smoker may have had his grumpy face and general air of anger surrounding him, but Hina had gotten _years _to deal with Smoker's moods, and she refused to let him be a jerk to her.

"Hina promotes piracy," She said with a grin and Smoker raised an eyebrow at her before raising his arms in the air in exasperation, giving in to his friend's suggestion.

"Fine! You know what, I don't care anymore. Let's go be pirates."

"_Yes!_" Tashigi cheered from a few meters over, hidden behind a rock, and Smoker groaned upon seeing the young female pirate that had taken it upon herself to follow Smoker's every order; except for the ones that would let her get caught.

Honestly he didn't understand why the girl even wanted _him _as a captain. And a _pirate captain_ at that. If she really _did _want him as her captain, she could've just easily joined the marines and enlisted under him; Tashigi was plenty strong enough – and well versed in swordsmanship – to shoulder her way on to his crew.

Seeing her trip over her own feet as she scampered over the two former marines, he was reminded of why she hadn't.

**XxX**

Luffy's induction to the marines went a little something like this; pirates, pirates, more pirates, adopting pirate hunter, finding marine base, kicking pirate ass, saving marine base, saving navigator, ruling marine base.

Of course, there were a few things in between that (such as _finding _the navigator, _that_ sure took a while, and getting a cook and a sniper and _adventures_) but Luffy was never one to dwell exclusively on the past and so he'd managed to spend half the time anyone asked him for tales about his adventures staring blankly at whoever had _asked_.

That was where Usopp would usually sweep in and save the day with some sort of fantastical – and sometimes true – story, saving Luffy the trouble of figuring out how to put it into words.

Usopp was great. So was everyone on his crew, in fact. They were all so undeniably brilliant at what they did that Luffy felt pride swell in him whenever he heard his crewmates' names mentioned in hushed whispers. (He never seemed to notice his, however, behind open palms the whispers that went; _the people's hero, Luffy, the people's marine._)

Unlike other marine ships, Luffy had collected a permanent shipwright as part of his crew to stay on his ship, meaning that the ship often got repairs that made her just a _little _more different than the other ships docked.

In fact, he could spot her now as he bounded up the docks, his close crewmates and a few of his subordinates on the upper deck. They moved like ants on the deck, prepping the Sunny and making sure she would be good to travel, and Luffy's Captain's coat flared out behind him as he moved. Holding his strawhat firmly on his head, he stretched out his arm, grabbing onto the mast and pulling himself to the ship. His crew, used to his rubbery limbs appearing out of nowhere, simply moved from his way; a well-oiled machine fit from months of practice, and trial-and-error.

Taking the stairs to the bow two at a time, the boy turned to face his crew, his trademarked grin on his features. "Get ready to set sail!" Luffy cheered, raising a fist above his head, "We're off to the New World to fight pirates!"

A resounding cheer met his words, and Luffy felt a happy swell in his chest; he knew that joining the marines would've been the best choice for him, but even now the words of Shanks – the old marine that'd saved his life – echoed in his ears.

_"__Go out there a do good, kid. Fight for the people and make me proud. You can give this back to me when the world's fair, huh? And it better be in good condition! I like this hat!"_

As his laugh filled the air and everyone began to scurry to finish jobs, some off to fetch the rest of the crew from the dining hall and the rest making sure that all the supplies were secure, Luffy felt a self-satisfied feeling nestle in his bones.

Yeah, he was getting there, Shanks.

Someday soon he'd make the world a better place, and then he could give back the old treasure that'd been his connection to the promise he made.

Someday real soon.

**XxX**

The seventeen candles flickered, drawn towards Ace like fire usually was, and they lit his face in an ethereal glow, his grinning, toothy smile gleaming half gold. A countdown sounded from the ship, echoing across the water, and as it hit zero, Ace took a deep breath and blew out all the candles on his birthday cake just as fireworks began to explode in the sky, lighting the night with vibrant colours.

"So, Ace. What'd you wish for your birthday?" Sabo nearly appearing from nowhere next to him wasn't unusual, and after learning about the other boy's training as a CP9 agent to keep Luffy and himself safe, Ace found himself adjusting to having his other brother back without too much difficulty. It'd taken a while, and a lot of thinking, but they were slowly falling back to the way things used to be, before everything fell apart on them.

Luffy was significantly less quiet, extracting himself from his crew with laughter and promises to be back in a little while, and he gave Ace a tight hug, grin wide as the moon when he pulled away. "Happy birthday Ace!"

Ace's grin was wider than Luffy's at that moment, and he slung his arm over Luffy's shoulder and then one over Sabo's, staring at the gleaming stars and the merrily partying marines. "I don't need anything," He said simply in response to the earlier question, watching the lights flicker on the water and feeling contentment and happiness curl in his bones like a pleased cat, "I've got all I want right here."


End file.
